Case Studies: Resource Security (SL IB Geography)

WFE resource insecurity in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh already faces the impact of climate change
  • Rising sea levels
  • Changing monsoon rainfall patterns
  • Coastal flooding
  • Increased frequency and severity of tropical cyclones
• The population of Bangladesh is almost 170 million people
  • Although the rate of natural increase has fallen it is still 12 per 1 000
  • Population density is 1 329 people per Km²
• This increases the pressure on water, food and energy

Water insecurity in Bangladesh

• Bangladesh has 238 major rivers and should have a plentiful water supply
• However, water security is poor
  • An estimated 40% of the population lacks access to safe water
  • Almost 70% have no access to improved sanitation
  • Over 40% of northwestern Bangladesh experiences groundwater scarcity, particularly in summer
• River and groundwater pollution levels are high
  • It is estimated that 50% of the population drinks water which is polluted with arsenic
• Over-abstraction of groundwater in the area surrounding Dhaka has led to:
  • Increased risk of [popover id="Uqny5Im4N4F4azVj" label="salt intrusion"]
  • A decrease in groundwater levels by 2-3 m a year
• Agriculture accounts for 80% of water withdrawal
• Water demand exceeds water supply, a situation which is likely to worsen as the population increases and development continues
• The reduction in the size of the ice stores in the Himalayas will decrease the supply further

Food insecurity in Bangladesh

• An estimated 25% of the population suffers from food insecurity
• Over 11 million people suffer acute hunger
• Approximately 36% of children under five suffer from stunting, which indicates chronic malnutrition
• Increased coastal flooding has led to salinisation which affects crop yields
  • Over the past 35 years, soil salinity has increased by approximately 26%
• Increasing areas of land are lost to:
  • Erosion on the banks of rivers or at the coast
  • Building of settlements and industries
    • Each year, an estimated 69 000 hectares of farmland is lost (a rate of 1% per year)

• An increase in the frequency and severity of tropical cyclones will impact crops and livestock
  
  • Cyclone Sidr damaged over 1.5 million hectares and killed almost 500 000 livestock 

Energy insecurity in Bangladesh

• The availability of electricity to the population of Bangladesh has increased from 20% (2000) to 85% (2023)
• Bangladesh relies heavily on imports of energy resources to generate electricity
• The energy mix for Bangladesh is
  • Gas - 54%
  • Oil - 22%
  • Coal - 7% 
  • Biofuels and waste - 16%
  • Renewables -1.2%
• Bangladesh aims to reach 15% renewable energy by 2030
• Increasing use of solar power is contributing to the use of renewables
  • To avoid the use of agricultural land, the focus has shifted to rooftop systems

WFE resource security in Denmark

• Denmark is not as vulnerable to climate change as Bangladesh but there are still challenges which may impact its WFE security
  • Rising sea levels
  • Increased precipitation
• Denmark has a population of almost 6 million people
  • The rate of natural increase is 1 per 1 000
  • Population density is 139 people per Km²

Water security in Denmark

• Denmark has a water surplus
  • The available water resource is an estimated 1,800 million m³ per year
  • Water demand is 1,000 million m³ per year
• The whole population (100%) have access to safe drinking water
• Almost 90% are connected to the main sewage network
• Most of the water supply is obtained from groundwater sources
• Use of water is split equally between agriculture, domestic and industrial use (approximately 33% each)

Threats to water security

• Salt intrusion may begin to affect the quality of groundwater due to rising sea levels and coastal flooding
• salinisation due to increased demand on the groundwater 

Food security in Denmark

• Food security is high in Denmark, with only 1.8% of the population experiencing severe food insecurity
• Denmark only imports just over 13% of the population's food

Threats to food security

• Rising temperatures have led to a longer growing season in Denmark
• However, they have also increased the need for:
  • Greater pest and disease protection
  • More fertiliser use, which leads to increased water pollution
  • Increased Irrigation, which places more pressure on the water supply
• Increased precipitation in winter and rising sea levels are increasing the risk of flooding and crop loss 
• Water temperature increase has impacted the populations of traditional species such as salmon and trout
  • New species are increasingly found in the waters around Denmark, such as hake
  • There has also been an increase in toxic algae, which threatens fish populations

Energy security in Denmark

• Denmark imports about 12% of its energy
• It has a high energy security
• The energy mix for Denmark is
  • Oil - 38%
  • Biofuels - 33.6%
  • Other renewables - 12.4%
  • Gas - 9.4%
  • Coal - 7.0%
• Denmark has closed all its oil-fired power stations and is in the process of closing its coal-fired power stations
  • This has significantly reduced its reliance on fossil fuels
• The entire population (100%) has access to electricity